The first Firefox 3 security / maintenance release is now available and I have optimized builds available for G5 and Intel macs.
Check out the official Mozilla Firefox web site to see what’s new in Firefox 3.0.1.
What the hell is Minefield?
So for those of you who have followed my Firefox builds, you all know the drill - those builds used the Mozilla development codename “BonEcho” because it was against the Firefox trademark to distribute non-official builds using that name or icon. With Firefox 3 the development name has changed from BonEcho to Minefield (don’t ask me why), so all of the Firefox 3 builds available from this site will be called that instead of Firefox.
As for the icon, in the past I either used the default development icon (the blue earth) or a slightly tweaked version. Minefield’s development icon changed, though, and it’s just… grotesque. Sorry, I can’t mince words here - basically someone took the blue earth icon from BonEcho and tacked on a fuse to it. Get it? Minefield? Bomb? Ahem.
With these builds I’ve reverted back to the blue globe icon instead of using the default development icon, partially for consistency’s sake, and partially because it’s still a heck of a lot better than the bomb icon. Originally I distributed these builds with an icon by Adam Betts that is quite similar to the current Firefox icon, but to avoid any possibility of people thinking these builds were in any way official I’ve stuck with the globe.
Downloads and caveats
There are no longer two separate builds available as Firefox 3 now boasts “native” form widgets. Makes my life easier.
As I mentioned above, there are only G5 and Intel builds available at the moment, so I’ve left the links to the Firefox 3.0 optimized version up for now. If I can either track a G4 machine down or someone volunteers one a G4-optimized build will soon follow.
Finally, if you really aren’t a big fan of the new redesigned theme, I highly recommend aronnax’s lovely GrApple Firefox themes which basically make Firefox look a heck of a lot like Safari. Not a bad thing in my book, but your mileage may vary.
Without further ado:
» Download Minefield (Firefox) 3.0.1 for Intel
» Mirror · Mirror» Download Minefield (Firefox) 3.0.1 for G5
» Mirror · Mirror» Download Minefield (Firefox) 3.0 for G4
» MirrorTotally not required, but if you feel like donating to help with bandwidth costs, etc., I’d be most grateful. Any excess money raised will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). Thanks!
Moving forward there will no longer be more Firefox 2.x builds - as far as I’m concerned it’s obsolete and in the past. That said, I am still chipping away at complete instructions on how to build your own optimized Firefox builds from the comfort of your own home; watch for those in the coming weeks.
As usual, please post feedback and other effluvia in the comments. Enjoy, folks!